Contraband and counterfeit goods cause a significant loss of revenue to producers and to government authorities. Counterfeit goods of inferior quality which are illegally sold are also detrimental to the customer and to the manufacturer. Customers are affected because they could obtain goods of inferior quality which may be hazardous. This is particularly important for products such as pharmaceuticals. Manufacturers are affected because they may suffer a loss of reputation, an increase in competition with their own products, and infringement of other legal rights. Contraband goods, which are goods manufactured for the purposes of evading taxes or government regulations, are also a considerable problem for producers and government authorities. These goods are illegally traded or imported and can result in significant losses in revenue.
The problems of contraband and counterfeiting are also particularly acute for goods subject to taxation, for example tobacco products. The problems also exist for many other kinds of traded products carrying a strong brand value. These include many internationally traded products such as perfumes, alcohols, watches and luxury goods. So, manufacturers, customers, distributors, wholesalers, importers, government authorities and other authorized parties need to be able to verify easily that particular goods are genuine. Moreover, government authorities and other authorized parties need to be able to verify easily that the volume of items manufactured adheres to authorized volumes, particularly for goods subject to taxation. Government authorities and other authorized parties further need to be able to verify tax status for goods subject to taxation and protect revenues derived from such taxation.
There exists a need for an improved method and apparatus for marking manufactured items, particularly one which can be used for tax verification, production volume verification and authentication of manufactured items.